Review of:The Chronicles of Riddick (2004)
Director:David Twohy
Rating:PG-13 for intense sequences of violent action and some language
Starring:Vin Diesel, Ja Rule, Keith David, Thandie Newton, Karl Urban
Vin Diesel reprises his role as everyone's soon to be favorite anti-hero Riddick. Set six years after the events of the film Pitch Black, Riddick has been on the run ever since. Just like Bruce Banner of Hulk fame his only wish is to be left alone, but society has different plans for him.
A large bounty is placed on his head, and when he finds out that it has been put on him by one of the very men he saved five years ago, he goes hunting. What he finds is that he is being sought after by an elemental named Aereon (Judy Dench). A group of beings that do a lot of what the twins could do in the second Matrix film. They can morph through things, and glide when necessary. Her main purpose for bringing Riddick into the fold is for one thing, his race. Apparently‚ Riddick is one of the last surviving members of a race called Furians. Why you ask would this be an important part of the story? For one reason only, a race of warlike beings is on the way named Necromongers who are waging what is called the “10th Crusade”, and the one race they fear in all of the galaxy happens to be the Furians. Long ago, someone gave a prophecy that a member of this race would be the one to kill the leader of the Necromongers. The Lord Marshal has lived with this prophecy‚ even committing genocide in its name. Sounds sort of like the story of Jesus in his infancy doesn't it.
The stage is set putting the sect known as Necromonger vs the fury of Riddick, and the fight between them is total action.
When I first saw Vin Diesel in the movie Pitch Black I knew he was going to be a star. Anyone who could be that cool in the face of so much going wrong had to have something extra special about him. Since that time my opinion had faded somewhat on Vin Diesel with so many lackluster, and unimaginative outings in his films. With "The Chronicles of Riddick‚" he has redeemed himself. From the onset, you hear his deep voice dripped with sarcasm, saying classic lines that are sure to be repeated. The film takes his character and builds upon it, without taking anything away from what we have already seen of the character. I'm sure they had to be a bit scared. How much of his past should be revealed? Part of the charm of the character is the mystery behind it. How did he get those eyes, where did he come from? They are some of the questions I'm sure fans of the first film were asking‚ and some of those very questions are answered, but it seems not to matter. The mystery is still there.
There is even a sub-story that involves another character (Kyra) from the Pitch Black film. It was good that she was included sense it helps to make Riddick at least a little compassionate. Their relationship also is the engine behind a lot of why he does some of the things that he does.
I'm proclaiming this the first big action film of the summer,
